Belt guard crop dam for flexible draper header

ABSTRACT

Belt guards that overlie the interface between a flexible cutterbar assembly and a flexible draper assembly of a harvesting header define an underlying void region that is sealed against the entry of crop residue by an upright dam wall that bears against the underside of the overhanging belt guards forward of the front edge of the upper run of the belt of the draper assembly. The upright dam wall is on the front extremity of flexible support panels that underlie the upper belt run and may be essentially rigid or provided with a resilient trim seal strip.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 12/817,015, filedJun. 16, 2010, entitled BELT GUARD CROP DAM FOR FLEXIBLE DRAPER HEADER,which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

Application Ser. No. 12/817,015 is related to contemporaneously filedapplication Ser. No. 12/817,023, titled “Crop Deflector For Ends OfDraper Belt Of Flexible Draper Header” assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to harvesting headers of the type that arecarried on the front end of a combine tractor. More particularly, itrelates to flexible draper headers having both a flexible cutterbarassembly and a flexible draper assembly that enable the header toaccommodate changes in ground terrain across the width of the headermachine as it advances through the field.

BACKGROUND

During grain harvesting operations with draper headers for wheat,soybeans and rice, for example, there is typically a significant amountof crop residue that must be controlled at the header. If the residue isallowed to migrate into the interior of one or both of the left andright draper assemblies of the header, it can become lodged in criticalareas and interfere with movement of the draper belts. In severeconditions, it can even cause the draper belts to stall out.

The problem is particularly egregious in the transition region betweenthe cutterbar assembly and the front edges of the draper assembliesbecause the endless loop in the belts of the assemblies present exposedopenings to the interior of the belts in that area. While belt guards inthe transition region cover the open front of the draper belt assembliesagainst ingress of the grain as it is severed and displaced rearwardly,it is a challenge to effectively seal off the area from residue,particularly considering that the cutterbar assembly and draperassemblies are flexing up and down at various locations along theirlengths due to changes in ground contour encountered by the advancingharvester.

Previous efforts to seal off this critical area have included the use ofan upstanding rib on the exterior of each draper belt along its frontedge that engages the underside of overhanging portions of the beltguards as the belt is moving along. This dynamic seal arrangement isdisclosed, for example, in Application Publication No. US 2010/0043373titled “Draper Belt with Crop-Retaining Rib” and assigned to theassignee of the present invention. The construction in the '373Publication also utilizes an upright stationary wall under theoverhanging belt guard and forwardly of the front edge of the top run ofthe belt, but the top edge of the wall is only in close proximity to theoverhanging belt guard with no effort to maintain constant interferencecontact between the belt guard and the wall. Although the dynamic sealarrangement of the '373 Publication is helpful in reducing residueaccumulation in unwanted areas of the header, there is a continuing needfor improvement in that respect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left, front perspective view of a harvesting headerconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective of the header with partsbroken away to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary left front perspective view ofthe header with the left end of the left draper assembly removed toreveal details of construction;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, left front perspective view of the headersimilar to FIG. 3 but with the left draper belt in place;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, left front perspective view of the centerportion of the header with portions of the right draper assembly brokenaway to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 6 is a left, rear perspective view of one of the front belt supportpanels associated with a draper assembly for supporting the upper run ofthe draper belt during operation;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 8 is a left end elevational view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a left, front perspective view of a typical belt guard of thedraper assemblies;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view thereof;

FIG. 12 is a left end elevational view of the belt guard;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary, left, rear perspective view of the frontportion of one of the front belt support panels and adjacent belt guardswith the draper assembly removed to reveal the relationship between thesupport panel and the belt guard;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary, vertical cross-sectional view of the front endof the header taken along a fore-and-aft line to illustrate therelationship between the draper belt, support panel, and belt guard;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the front end of the headertaken substantially along line 15-15 of FIG. 14 to reveal therelationship between the front dam wall on the belt support panel, thefront edge of the upper belt run, and the belt guard;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary, left front perspective view of the front endof the header with portions of one of the belt guards broken away toreveal details of construction;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary, longitudinal cross-sectional view of the frontend of the header similar to FIG. 14 but on a larger scale to illustratethe relationship between the front dam wall of the belt support panel,the front edge of the upper belt run, and the belt guard;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal cross-sectional viewof the front end of the header illustrating an alternative embodiment ofthe front dam wall on the belt support panel;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary, left front perspective view of the left frontcorner of the header illustrating the manner in which a residuedeflector is attached to and closes off the otherwise open end of theendmost belt guard so as to protect against the ingress of crop residuein that area;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the deflector andotherwise open end of the endmost belt guard, parts being removed forclarity;

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary, right rear perspective view of the left end ofthe header illustrating the deflector, the crop divider housing at theleft end of the header being removed to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the deflector as viewed from one sideof the deflector;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the deflector as viewed from theopposite side of the deflector;

FIG. 24 is a fragmentary left rear perspective view of the left end ofthe header with parts removed to reveal the deflector and itsrelationship to other adjacent components;

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary, right rear perspective view of the left end ofthe header with parts removed to reveal a second embodiment of theresidue deflector wherein the deflector is attached to a skid plate ofthe header for support;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the deflector embodiment of FIG. 25illustrating details of construction;

FIG. 27 is a fragmentary right rear perspective view of the left end ofthe header with components removed to reveal a third embodiment ofresidue deflector wherein the deflector is attached to both the endmostbelt guard and a skid plate;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view taken from one side of the thirdembodiment of residue deflector of FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the thirdembodiment of residue deflector;

FIG. 30 is fragmentary, left front perspective view of the left end ofthe header illustrating the relationship between the crop dividerhousing and the first deflector embodiment of FIG. 19;

FIG. 31 is a fragmentary top plan view of the left end of the header,particularly illustrating the relationship between the crop dividerhousing and the residue deflector of FIG. 19; and

FIG. 32 is a fragmentary, bottom front perspective view of the left endof the header illustrating the relationship between the divider housingand the residue deflector of FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms. While the drawings illustrate and the specification describescertain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understoodthat such disclosure is by way of example only. There is no intent tolimit the principles of the present invention to the particulardisclosed embodiments. References hereinafter and heretofore made tocertain directions, such as, for example, “front”, “rear”, “left”, and“right”, are made as viewed from the rear of the machine lookingforwardly.

With initial reference to FIGS. 1-5, a harvesting header 10 inaccordance with the principles of the present invention is adapted to beattached to the front of a feeder house (not shown) which is in turnpart of a combine tractor (not shown) that supports header 10 foradvancement across a field containing standing crops to be harvested.Generally speaking, as header 10 is advanced, standing crops are severedby a cutterbar assembly 12 across the front of header 10, and suchsevered materials fall rearwardly onto left and right side draperassemblies 14, 16 respectively. Side draper assemblies 14, 16 convey thesevered materials toward the center of header 10 where they fall onto acenter, rearwardly moving draper assembly 18 for conveyance toward thefeeder house. Of course, standing crops directly in front of centerdraper assembly 18 are severed by a corresponding central portion ofcutterbar assembly 12. A transfer auger 19 at the rear of center draperassembly 18 within a discharge opening 20 assists in moving the cropmaterials into the feeder house for subsequent processing by the combinetractor.

Header 10 includes an upright, generally rectangular, ladder-shapedframe 22 that extends across the full length of the header at its rearextremity, the frame 22 being adapted through means not shown to mountonto the front end of the feeder house for support thereby. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, for example, frame 22 includes an upper,transverse cylindrical beam 24, a lower transverse, rectangular beam 26,and a number of upright channels 28 that interconnect upper and lowerbeams 24, 26 at spaced locations along the length of frame 22. A pair ofupright panels 30, 32 on opposite lateral sides of discharge opening 20cover the otherwise exposed front extremities of channels 28.

Cutterbar assembly 12 is flexible all along its length (with theexception of a center portion directly in front of center draperassembly 18) for accommodating differences in ground contour betweendifferent portions of the cutterbar assembly. Likewise, side draperassemblies 14, 16 are flexible along their lengths so as to rise andfall with corresponding portions of the flexing cutterbar assembly 12.The construction of header 10 permitting such flexing correspondssubstantially to that disclosed in the above-noted ApplicationPublication No. US 2010/0043373; therefore, the '373 Publication in itsentirety is hereby incorporated by reference into the presentspecification to disclose details of construction of header 10 thatmight not otherwise be specifically described in the presentspecification and drawings.

In order to achieve the desired flexibility for cutterbar assembly 12and draper assemblies 14, 16, each draper assembly 14, 16 is providedwith a plurality of fore-and-aft extending, laterally spaced apart floatarms 34 pivoted at their rear ends to header frame 22 for up and downswinging movement about transverse pivots 36 on channels 28. Inaddition, at opposite outboardmost ends of header 10, a pair of outboardarms 38 are provided (only the left outboard arm being illustrated) tosupport opposite ends of cutterbar assembly 12 and a drive mechanism 40for cutterbar assembly 12. As disclosed in the incorporated '373Publication, preferably cutterbar assembly 12 includes a split sicklecomprising two oppositely moving sickle bar half assemblies that overlapslightly in the center of the header but are driven at their outboardends by their own individual drive mechanisms 40. Thus, it is preferred,although not required, that a pair of drive mechanisms 40 be provided atopposite ends of header 10, one supported on each of the outboard arms38 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example. Left andright divider housings 42 and 44 respectively normally cover drivemechanisms 40 and are carried on the outboard arms 38 for up and downmovement therewith. Arms 38 are pivoted at their rear ends to the mostoutboard channels 28 by transverse pivots 46.

Cutterbar assembly 12 is attached to and supported by the front ends ofarms 34, 38. Likewise, each draper assembly 14, 16 is supported by arms34 such that, as terrain changes cause a particular portion of cutterbarassembly 12 to rise or fall, the corresponding arm 34 rises or fallswith it, causing a corresponding rise or fall of the associated draperassembly portion. For the sake of this description, arms 34 may beconsidered as part of the draper assemblies 14, 16.

As illustrated primarily with respect to left draper assembly 14, eachof the draper assemblies 14, 16 includes a pair of fore-and-aftextending, laterally spaced apart rollers 46 and 48 at opposite outboardand inboard ends respectively of the draper assembly. Each outboardroller 46 is supported by a proximal arm 34 by means of a pair ofcantilever supports 50 at opposite front and rear ends of the arm 34(only the rear support 50 being visible in FIG. 3). Each outboard roller46 is adjustably shiftable laterally on its supports 50 for the purposeof adjusting the tension the draper assembly as necessary or desired. Atthe opposite inboard end of each draper assembly, the inboard roller 48is supported in a non-adjustable manner by cantilever supports 52 (onlythe rear support 52 being visible in FIG. 5), as illustrated by inboardroller 48 associated with the right draper assembly 16 in FIG. 5. Eachdraper assembly 14, 16 further includes an endless, wide, flat,rubberized, flexible belt 54 looped around rollers 46, 48 to presentupper and lower belt runs 56 and 58 respectively. (See also FIGS. 14,17, and 18). Belt 54 is provided with a number of fore-and-aftextending, laterally spaced apart slats 60 to enhance the ability ofbelt 54 to convey crop materials in the desired manner.

Belt 54 is driven by outboard roller 46 in such a manner that upper run56 moves laterally inwardly toward the center of header 10, i.e., towardcenter discharge draper assembly 18. Outboard roller 48 is driven bymeans not illustrated. It will be appreciated that arms 34 are disposedwithin the interior of belt 54, between upper run 56 and lower run 58 atthe same level as rollers 46, 48.

Arms 34, 38 are supported by frame 22 in such a manner that draperassemblies 14, 16 and divider housings 42, 44 are inclined slightlydownwardly and forwardly from rear frame 22 toward the ground. Theweight of the arms 34, 38 and their associated apparatus is partiallycounterbalanced by a flotation system (not illustrated) at the upperrear ends of arms 34, 38 as more fully disclosed in the incorporated'373 Publication.

The upper belt run 56 is supported at its front and rear by a set ofrear support panels 62 and a set of front support panels 64, both ofwhich are carried by arms 34. Panels 62, 64 extend from the centerlineof one arm 34 to the centerline of the next adjacent arm 34, with theexception of the outboardmost panels 62, 64 which are somewhat longerthan the other panels and project somewhat beyond the last arm 34 (FIG.3). Rear panels 62 are attached at their front edges to arms 34 by bolts66, while front panels 64 are attached at their rear edges to arms 34 bybolts 68.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate details of construction of a typical front panel64. Each front panel 64 comprises a flexible body of sheet metal that isformed to present a raised, flat central portion 70 that bears againstthe underside of upper belt run 56 and a rearwardly disposed recessedportion 72 that is in the form of a pair of spaced apart tabs engagingthe underlying arm 34 and receiving bolts 68 through holes 74. Along itsfront extremity, front panel 64 has an upwardly projecting dam wall orbarrier 76 formed by the upturned front margin of panel 64. Dam wall 76functions to keep residue from migrating to the inside of belt 54 ashereinafter explained in more detail. The recessed nature of tabs 72relative to raised central portion 70 permits the heads of bolts 68 tobe spaced below upper belt run 56 and thereby avoid abrasive wear ofthose structures. A spacer 78 on each arm 34 (FIG. 14) underlies theraised central portion 70 of front panel 64 so as to maintain centralportion 70 and upper belt run 56 spaced above arm 34.

Cutterbar assembly 12 includes a long, transversely extending, flexiblecutterbar 80 along the full width of header 10, a series of sickleguards 82 attached to cutterbar 80 by carriage bolts 84, and areciprocating split sickle bar assembly 86 having knife sections 88 thatcooperate with guards 82 to sever standing crop materials. Cutterbarassembly 12 is attached to arms 34 by coupling units 90 at the frontends of the arms, and ground-engaging skids 92 are fixed to couplingunits 90 and cutterbar 80 to support the front of header 10 on theground.

The front of belt 54 between upper run 56 and lower run 58 is open, andupper run 56 is slightly elevated with respect to cutterbar assembly 12.Thus, to facilitate the flow of cut materials from cutterbar assembly 12to upper belt run 56, and to prevent such materials from entering theopen front interior of belt 54, a series of formed belt guards 94 coverthe interface between cutterbar assembly 12 and draper assemblies 14,16. Belt guards 94 are attached to cutterbar 80 by a series of bolts 96and effectively form a continuous cover over the otherwise exposed, openfront end of belt 54. The segmented or sectionalized nature of thisprotective cover, however, due to the use of individual belt guards 94instead of a single, unitary cover, allows covering protection even ascutterbar assembly flexes during harvesting operations. As explained ingreater detail in the incorporated '373 Publication, joints are formedbetween slightly overlapping ends of the belt guards 94 to facilitatethe needed flexing action.

FIGS. 9-12 illustrate some of the constructional details of most of thebelt guards 94 (the outboardmost guards at opposite ends of cutterbarassembly are slightly different). As illustrated in those figures, eachguard 94 comprises a single unitary piece of formed sheet metal having amoderate degree of inherent flexibility sufficient to meet therequirements of flexing with cutterbar assembly 12. Guard 94 is somewhatgenerally S-shaped in transverse cross-sectional configuration,presenting an upright section 98, a rearwardly projecting overhangingsection 100 at the upper margin of upright section 98, and a forwardlyprojecting, horizontal mounting section 102 at the lower margin ofupright section 98. Bolts 96 pass through holes 104 in mounting section102 when guards 94 are attached to cutterbar 80. A laterally projectingrear tab 106 projects in an inboard direction from the normally inboardend of overhanging section 100 and is joggled down slightly below thelevel of overhanging section 100. This arrangement is for the purpose ofallowing tab 106 to slip under the proximal outboard end of the nextadjacent inboard belt guard 94. The outboard end of guard 94 is notchedslightly in the region of overhanging section 100 so as to present anoutboard projecting tab 108 in upright section 98 and part ofoverhanging section 100. FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate that while inboardtab 106 always slips under the overhanging section 100 of the nextadjacent inboard guard 94, the outboard tab 108 alternately slips overand under the upright section 98 of the next adjacent outboard guard 94.That is, successive tabs 108 in the series slip alternately over andunder the upright sections 98 to provide an interlocking yet flexiblejoint between the guards. Each outboardmost guard 94 has no interlockingtab 108. However, in one embodiment of the invention, the overhangingsection 100 is provided with a pair of mounting holes 109 (FIG. 19; onlyone hole 109 being illustrated) for a purpose yet-to-be described.

With particular reference to FIGS. 13-17, it will be seen thatoverhanging section 100 of belt guards 94 overhangs upright dam wall 76of front panel 64 but does not substantially overhang the front edge 56a of upper belt run 56. Moreover, belt 54 is devoid of an upstandingexterior rib adjacent front edge 56 a in contrast to the constructionillustrated in the incorporated '373 Publication wherein a belt rib,moving with the belt, contacts the stationary overhanging portion of thebelt guard in an effort to make a dynamic seal. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 13-17, dam wall 76 projects upwardly a sufficient distance as tobe in interference engagement with overhanging portion 100 (i.e.,exerting at least a slight upward force against guard portion 100) atall times, even during flexing of the header. Dam wall 76 andoverhanging portion 100 thus cooperate to effectively close off and sealthe upper rear extremity of a void region 110 that is defined underguard 94 and forwardly of belt 54. Void region is in open communicationwith the open front of belt 54 between runs 56, 58; therefore, the sealformed by dam wall 76 and overhanging portion 100 prevents residue alongthe front belt edge 56 a from migrating under overhanging portion 100,through void region 110, and into the open front of belt 54. Instead,the residue is simply encouraged by the moving upper belt run 56 toslide along the rear side of dam wall 76 and drop into the centraldraper assembly 18.

By having a slight amount of extension of overhanging portion 100 beyondupright dam wall 76, there is less likelihood that a significant spacewill accidently open up between the upper edge of dam wall 76 andoverhanging portion 100 during flexing of the various components in thatarea of the header. Moreover, while in the most preferred embodiment therearmost edge of belt guard 94 does not overlap front edge 56 a of theupper belt run 56, some small degree of overlap is permissible, althoughunnecessary, because there is no upstanding exterior rib on the beltthat needs to make contact with overhanging portion 100.

FIG. 18 illustrates an alternative embodiment for dam wall 76 of frontpanel 64. In this embodiment, dam wall 76A has a lower upright portionintegral with the rest of the panel, and an upper attached portioncomprising a flexible trim seal assembly 77A that makes constantyieldable interference engagement with the underside of overhangingportion 100 of belt guard 94. Trim seal 77A is preferably made of asuitable resilient material and may take the form of a poly vinylchloride (PVC) trim seal strip available from Trim-Lok Inc. of BuenaPark, Calif. as “EPDM Co-Extruded Trim-Seal”, product ID: DDA1501. Likethe first embodiment, the alternative embodiment of FIG. 18 has belt 54devoid of an upstanding exterior rib that would engage the underside ofoverhanging portion 100 to make a dynamic seal. Preferably, in thealternative embodiment of FIG. 18, overhanging portion 100 extendsrearwardly a sufficient extent as to permit trim seal 77A to bend anddeflect rearwardly without projecting beyond the rear edge ofoverhanging portion 100.

Crop Residue Deflector

FIGS. 19-32 are directed to a preferred and alternative embodiments of acrop residue deflector for closing off the otherwise open outboard endsof the outboardmost belt guards 94 at opposite ends of the header.Referring initially to FIGS. 19 and 20, it will be seen that the profileof each outboardmost belt guard 94 is such that the outboard edgethereof defines an open end 112. Thus, open end 112 provides an entrypoint into the void region 110 for residue. Even though void region 110is sealed along its top rear extremity by front dam wall 76 andoverhanging belt guard portion 100, open end 112 can potentially presenta problem.

To overcome this problem, a residue deflector 114 serves to effectivelyclose off the otherwise open end 112 of the outboardmost guard 94.Deflector 114 comprises a generally L-shaped unitary body of sheet metalhaving a sidewall 116 and a top wall 118. Sidewall 116 is generallytriangular in shape, with a normally lower forward edge 120 thatconforms generally to the proximal upper surface of skid 92, although inthe illustrated embodiment, edge 120 is spaced slightly above skid 92. Anormally rear edge 122 of sidewall 116 converges normally downwardly andrearwardly toward edge 120 to intersect therewith in a rounded rear apex124. Lower front edge 120 is truncated at its forwardmost extremity toturn upwardly and present a forwardmost edge 126 that generally matchesthe configuration of upright section 98 of guard 94. A normallyfore-and-aft extending, convex bend 128 is defined at the intersectionof sidewall 116 and top wall 118 to define an included angle on theconcave side of bend 128 that is somewhat greater than 90°.

Top wall 118 is disposed to lie in a plane substantially correspondingto the plane of overhanging guard portion 100. Indeed, top wall 118 isadapted to fit up underneath overhanging portion 100 in abuttingengagement therewith so that a narrow forward portion 118 a can befastened to overhanging portion 100 using bolts or other suitablefasteners. In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of bolts 130 serve asthe fastening means, utilizing a pair of holes 132 in the forwardportion 118 a. Holes 109 in overhanging portion 100 (FIG. 19) provideclearance for bolts 130.

Top wall 118 has a generally rectangular rear portion 118 b that iswider than the tapering front portion 118 a so as to project rearwardlybeyond overhanging portion 100 as an extension thereof. Top wall 118,particularly rear portion 118 b thereof, thus serves as a cover orshield over the region rearwardly beyond overhanging portion 100 andoutboard of the outboard belt roller 46. Due to the adjustability ofbelt roller 46, the extent to which top wall 118 covers the open regionoutboard of belt roller 46 can vary, depending upon the adjustedposition of roller 46. Preferably, top wall 118 has an upturned lip 134along the inboard edge of rear portion 118 a. Preferably also, deflector114 fits under guard 94 to such an extent that sidewall 116 issubstantially flush with the outboard edge of upright section 98 ofguard 94. Deflector 114 is preferably oriented such that sidewall 116flares slightly outwardly and rearwardly when installed in place.

FIGS. 30, 31, and 32 illustrate that the cutterbar assembly 12 has“live” cutting elements (the knife sections 88) operating in a regionoutboard of the outboard end of each draper assembly 14, 16 (draperassembly 14 being illustrated as an example for both draper assemblies).In this respect, it will be appreciated that crop materials are beingcut in that region of cutterbar assembly under divider 42,notwithstanding the fact that the outboard end of draper assembly 14 isdisposed inboard of such cutting action. This defines a potentialcollecting space 136 for residue in the region outboard of draperassembly 14 and behind cutterbar assembly 12. While the contours ofdivider housing 42 help direct and deflect severed crop onto draperassembly 14 in the desired manner, there is still a tendency forresidue, particularly wheat straw, to accumulate within space 136. Dueto the existence of moving components of sickle drive mechanism 40 inthe near vicinity, there is a tendency for the straw residue to becomeprogressively more and more disintegrated and to migrate toward the openend 112 of outboardmost belt guard 94. Having the deflector 114 in thisarea, however, substantially prevents the ingress of such residue intovoid region 110 under belt guards 94.

FIGS. 25 and 26 are directed to a second embodiment of deflector, theprimary differences between this embodiment and the previous embodimentrelating to the manner in which the deflector is mounted. In thisrespect, deflector 114A is similar in shape to deflector 114 and servesto close off the open end 112 of the outboardmost guard 94 in the samemanner as the first embodiment. Thus, deflector 114A has a sidewall 116Aand a top wall 118A very much like sidewall 116 and top wall 118 ofdeflector 114. However, instead of being fastened to the outboardmostbelt guard 94, deflector 114A is fastened to a nearby skid 92. For thispurpose sidewall 116A is provided with an inturned foot 138A having ahole 140A for receiving a suitable fastener such as a bolt 142A forsecuring deflector 114A to skid 92. The function and operation ofdeflector 114A is the same in all respects as that of deflector 114.

FIGS. 27-29 illustrate a third embodiment of residue deflector. In thisembodiment, deflector 114B is virtually identical to deflector 114A,with the exception that top wall 118B is also provided with mountingholes 132B as in the first embodiment. Deflector 114B is adapted to besecured to both the outboardmost belt guard 94 and a proximal skid 92 asillustrated in FIG. 27. Bolts 130B serve to attach deflector 114B to theoutboardmost guard 94, while bolt 142B serves to attach deflector 114Bto the skid 92. The function and operation of deflector 114B isidentical in all respects to the function and operation of deflectors114 and 114A.

The inventor(s) hereby state(s) his/their intent to rely on the Doctrineof Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope ofhis/their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materiallydeparting from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set outin the following claims.

1. A harvesting header comprising: a flexible cutterbar assemblyextending transversely across a front portion of the header with respectto the normal direction of travel of the header, said cutterbar assemblybeing operable to flex up and down along the length thereof in responseto changes in terrain as the header is advanced; a flexible draperassembly supported behind the cutterbar assembly in a manner to permitthe draper assembly to flex with the cutterbar assembly, said draperassembly including an endless, flexible, laterally movable beltpresenting top and bottom belt runs, said top belt run presenting afront edge; and a plurality of belt guards attached to and disposedalong the cutterbar assembly to accommodate and move with the cutterbarassembly during flexing thereof, each of said guards including arearwardly projecting section disposed at a level above the level ofsaid front edge of the top belt run, such that a vertical gap is definedbetween the levels of the top belt run and each belt guard, said draperassembly including a front dam wall disposed forwardly of said frontedge of the top belt run and extending upwardly into interferencecontact with an underside of said rearwardly projecting section of theguard, with the front dam wall spanning the gap to restrict cropmaterials from falling through the gap.
 2. A harvesting header asclaimed in claim 1, said rearwardly projecting section of the guardextending rearwardly beyond said dam wall without substantiallyoverlapping said front edge of the top belt run.
 3. A harvesting headeras claimed in claim 1, said front dam wall having an upper,non-resilient edge.
 4. A harvesting header as claimed in claim 3, saiddraper assembly including a flexible support panel between the top andbottom belt runs for supporting at least a portion of the top run duringlateral movement of the belt, with the support panel including the frontdam wall.
 5. A harvesting header as claimed in claim 1, said front damwall having an upper resilient edge.
 6. A harvesting header as claimedin claim 5, said draper assembly including a flexible support panelbetween the top and bottom belt runs for supporting at least a portionof the top run during lateral movement of the belt, with the supportpanel including the front dam wall.
 7. A harvesting header as claimed inclaim 6, said front dam wall comprising a lower upright portion integralwith the remainder of the support panel and a resilient strip attachedto the lower portion.
 8. A harvesting header as claimed in claim 1, saiddraper assembly including a flexible support panel between the top andbottom belt runs for supporting at least a portion of the top run duringlateral movement of the belt,
 9. A harvesting header as claimed in claim8, said draper assembly further including a plurality of fore-and-aftextending, laterally spaced apart arms disposed within the interior ofsaid belt between the top and bottom belt runs, said arms beingswingable up and down independently of one another with correspondingportions of the cutterbar assembly about rearwardly disposed pivots,said support panel comprising one of a plurality of individual, flexiblesupport panels, each of which spans the distance between a pair ofadjacent arms and is secured thereto at opposite lateral ends of thesupport panel.